A Passion for Whisky
Established in 1948, Douglas Laing is a proudly independent, family owned Scotch Whisky business in its third generation. Over 70 years of heritage have helped us to refine our processes, and deliver Whisky that is consistently exceptional in its offering.
Abiding to the philosophy of presenting Whisky as the Distiller intended, we add nothing and take nothing away from our spirit, enabling Whisky lovers around the world to come as close as they possibly can to sampling a dram straight from the Cask.
Founder
Fred Douglas Laing
Fred Douglas Laing (FDL) founded Douglas Laing & Co. in 1948. He always had a taste for Scotch Whisky so his dreams were realised when he established the business in 1948, with little more than a few casks of Blended Scotch Whisky, a recently purchased brand name – King of Scots – and an unyielding desire to succeed. Typical of many of those old characters in our Scotch industry, FDL was “couthy”, personable, and commercially astute.
To protect burgeoning sales he established filling contracts with many of Scotland’s most famous and prestigious Distilleries, many are still in place today, so that the future of the company’s stock was assured. His blending skills were self-taught, and through his successes and (occasional) failures, the Whisky Blender’s art was learnt.
Fred Laing
Born into a Whisky family in 1950, Fred Jr is the son of our founder, Fred Douglas Laing.
His Father, Fred Sr., was always adamant that his son’s mistakes should be made in someone else’s business, and so Fred apprenticed under several Scotch Whisky greats, before joining the family business in 1972.
Today, Fred maintains a hands-on role in the business, working with the Board and Management team to develop and realise a global strategy that continues to take Douglas Laing and Co. from strength to strength. His creative tasting notes can be found on our Single Cask bottlings, identifiable simply by “FHL”, and his remarkable palate ensures the utmost quality in our Blended Malt bottlings.
Director of Whisky
Cara Laing
Daughter of Fred Jr., Cara is Director of Whisky (and third-generation family member) at Douglas Laing. Cara Laing describes herself as an “all-round Whisky enthusiast!”. But where did it all begin?!
Cara was born into Whisky, the industry in which both her father and grandfather worked in. She grew up hearing stories about bottlings for far-flung locations that her father visited on business and being taken around various Distilleries across Scotland.
Many years on, and with a University degree in Marketing, Cara officially entered the Whisky industry in 2006 joining Whyte and Mackay as Brand Manager for Jura Single Malt. Thereafter she moved on to become Marketing Manager for Bowmore and Glen Garioch Single Malts at Morrison Bowmore Distillers. This was an apprenticeship of some considerable note and value, that fostered a deep love and appreciation of the Distillers’ art in general, and a soft spot for the brands she previously managed in particular.
Having joined the business in mid-2013, Cara’s role as Director of Whisky sees her head up Marketing for Douglas Laing as well as taking a lead role in the approval of Cask samples and the writing of tasting notes. Cara was recognised for her outstanding commitment to Scotch Whisky in 2014 when she became one of the youngest women to be appointed as a “Keeper of the Quaich”.
CEO
Chris Leggat
Chris Leggat, CEO at Douglas Laing & Co. joined the business in 2013, continuing an impressive and varied 20 year focused career in the drinks industry.
In his early years, Chris was a young Restaurant Manager at Glasgow institution “The Rogano”, before going on to become Brand Ambassador at Tennents Lager, followed by a Sales Manager role at Cellar Trends managing various global spirits brands. His long-standing passion for Scotch Whisky then took him to Morrison Bowmore Distillers (Suntory) where he looked after the European Market as Regional Sales Manager before he joined Douglas Laing as Head of Sales and Commerce.
In 2014, Chris was appointed Commercial Director of Douglas Laing & Co. and was then promoted to CEO in 2018.
Inducted into the Keepers of the Quaich in 2013, Chris was officially recognised for over a decade’s experience in the spirits industry and an extraordinary commitment to promoting the values and image of Scotch Whisky globally. He and wife Cara are the first British married duo to wear the accolade and two of the youngest Keepers.
